‘Several players not paid after participation in SLPL’

Colombo: Several overseas players are still waiting for their payments after participating in the recently concluded Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), a report said on Friday

Chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) Tim May said that the Singapore-based Somerset Entertainment Ventures (SEV), the event management company responsible for the SLPL, has been unable to secure payment from a SLPL franchise, which still owes as much as 50 percent to players more than a week after the completion of the tournament.

According to the Island Cricket, all payments, as mentioned in player contracts, were required to have been made after the each team’s final match of the tournament concluded.

“There are still a number of foreign players that are awaiting payments, 50-percent of their total salary, from one franchise,” ANI quoted May as saying.

“This matter was raised recently by FICA with the organisers who are chasing the payment from the franchise. We are hopeful that it will be paid next week,” May added.

According to the report, in addition, May said that FICA would advocate a boycott of next year’s SLPL if the Sri Lankan cricket board and SEV are unable to present FICA with proof that guarantees from a lending institution have been obtained to settle players” payments if the franchisees fail to do so.

FICA was not provided with proof of a bank guarantee during this year”s tournament which, according to May, is a breach of contract.

“Despite several and consistent requests… SLC, SEV simply did not produce one guarantee,” May said.

According to the report, earlier this week, SEV chairman Sandeep Bhammer said that his company had “delivered a bona fide tournament” and “all players have been paid.”

May also refuted Bhammer’s claim that FICA had forced tournament winners Uva to pay their players in full midway through the tournament, contrary to the requirements of the contract, when the franchise failed to honour its payment agreement, the report added.